She Walked Away
by butterflyxblade
Summary: She can't hurt them anymore. The only thing left to do is to leave them...leave them so they can live happier lives. Rukia runs and Ichigo follows through a story of love and hardships. But what if on her journey, Rukia falls in love with someone else?
1. Gone

_She walked away _

_Couldn't say why she was leaving _

_She walked away _

_She left all she had believed in._

It was a dark, cool December night in Karakura, the brisk wind of the night coming in Kurosaki Ichigo's open bedroom window. He lay unconscious in his bed, his body wrapped in bloody bandages, as Kuchiki Rukia sat by his side and wept for her friend…and herself.

* * *

"_Heh, this is a big one," Ichigo smirked confidently at his opponent._

_The Hollow was a big one, the spikes coming out of his back looking as if they penetrated the sky. It was one of the largest Menos Grande he'd ever seen, its black, piercing eyes staring down on him._

"_You ready for this, Rukia," Ichigo said turning to his friend, her sword swiftly coming out of its sheath. The blade turned pure white in the air._

"_Ready as I'll ever be," Rukia replied, as they charged toward their opponent._

_The battle raged on swiftly. Black and white moved around the Hollow, cutting off limbs that only grew back and freezing areas that only melted. When the Menos decided to fight back, black and white would soon turn into red, crimson red._

"_Watch out Rukia, it's charging," Ichigo yelled as the Menos began to move toward the city, a city of defenseless souls. "We can't let it enter Karakura, let's go!"_

_A plan formed in Rukia's head as she charged the Hollow. Suddenly, she stopped in front of the Menos Grande and raised her sword. __**"**__**Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!"**__ Rukia yelled as she summoned a ray of white ice from her sword. The beam of ice hit the Menos on the head, but it was not powerful enough to penetrate its mask. Then, Rukia jumped into the air, lifting her sword which was about to contact with the Menos's mask, which was at the moment blinded._

_The Menos felt Rukia's spiritual power come towards it. It lifted its giant hand and swatted the small shinigami away, her body slamming into the hard, cement ground._

"_Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, as he saw the Menos's foot lift in the air, its goal to squash his partner._

_Rukia looked up and saw the monster coming toward her but she could not react, pain restraining her movement. She smiled as she laid her head down and closed her eyes, her mind waiting for death. She heard her name being called out followed by a loud thunderous crash._

_Rukia__ opened her violet eyes, to see a fading Menos Grande, a disappearing foot and under that foot, a bleeding, dying shinigami. The shinigami had orange hair.._

* * *

Ichigo would live, but Rukia would have the regret and the guilt of hurting him, again. She always hurt him. She always seemed to hurt everyone. She couldn't remember one time when she ever helped him. Helped him, or anyone she's ever known.

_I __hurt Renji by leaving him to go to the Kuchiki family. I dirtied the honor and pride of Nii-sama and the rest of the Kuchiki clan by joining their family. I killed Kaien-dono which caused great pain the 13__th__ Division and brought much sorrow into Seireitei. _

_I brought Inoue and the others into the life of battle, where they were injured, beaten, and were put on the brink of death many times. Even more than anyone else, I hurt Ichigo. I gave him power which threw him into a twisted life of combat and pain which he could never escape. And it is all my fault. _Rukia thought as she cried, recalling everything she's done.

Warm tears continued to roll down her face as she got up from his bedside and went into her closet. She pulled out her old, worn, blue backpack and began to collect her things. She couldn't hurt him anymore, any of them. She couldn't return to Soul Society either. There was no use for her there. She would only be another burden. She decided she would just leave and make no contact with anyone. Ever again.

She tried to write a goodbye note, attempting to write one many times, but could not bring herself to do it as she put on her backpack and stepped up to the windowsill. 

"Goodbye, Ichigo. Be safe, and please…be happy," she said without a glance behind, her tears blinding her sight as she jumped from the windowsill into the dark, cool December night, never to return again.

_She slammed the door with no goodbye_

_And__ knew that it was time._

_And now she's driving to fast_

_She d__idn't care to glance behind_

_And through her tears she laughed,_

"_It's time to kiss the past goodbye."_

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in._

_She walked away._


	2. Two beginnings

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in_

_She walked away…_

Rukia walked through the streets in the outskirts of Karakura. She wanted to leave the city as quickly as possible, walking all night to do so. Rukia was confident with her decision about leaving. It would help everyone, even Ichigo.

She smiled sadly as she continued walking down the road, questions flooding her mind.

_What do I do now? Where do I sleep? Well, I slept in a closet…is a box really all that different? Food…Food…I could steal for food! _Rukia sighed angrily. "This is like Rukongai all over again…" she muttered to herself. An idea popped into her mind as she entered a local supermarket.

She grabbed a cart and walked down the aisles, picking up food as she went along. When her cart began to overflow from the amount food, she went to the cash register. Lucky for her, it was early in the morning and the supermarket was empty so there were no lines. She happily walked right up to the counter, becoming disappointed in an instant when the bill was over 200 yen.

"Oh well, I guess there's no use…" Rukia said as she went through her bag.

"Hey, are you going to pay or not?" the impatient cashier asked.

Rukia pulled something out of her bag and smiled, "Nope."

Suddenly, a flash of white light could be seen throughout the store as Rukia walked out with a victorious grin on her face.

"Thank you for coming. Please stop by again," the dizzy, delusional cashier said as Rukia walked out.

Rukia grinned, "The Chappy memory eraser never fails."

She walked down the road with her cart full of food from the supermarket. The sun was in the middle of the sky. _Hmm…it's about noon…now what?_ Rukia rolled her cart down the street as her wandering led her to a grassy opening. She smiled as she sat down and ate her lunch. Thoughts of Ichigo came into her mind at once.

_I wonder if he noticed I'm gone, _Rukia thought as she reached into the bag for another potato chip. _What am I saying…I live with the idiot, of course he noticed! He must just think I'm out doing something important for now. But what will he do the next day…or the day after that? Would her really come to look for me…or…or will he just move on with his life? _

Rukia sighed sadly, "He's probably happy I'm gone."

She got up from her spot, straightened out her blue and yellow dress, and continued to walk down the road. She mentally scolded herself for not bringing a heavier jacket as she saw young kids with their parents run passed her in winter jackets, hats, and gloves.

"A-CHOO!" Rukia sneezed. "Damn it!" she yelled, cursing her weakness. She looked up at the sky, the sun setting over the dark green horizon. "I better look for a place to sleep," she said, proceeding on with her journey.

By nightfall, she finally got to her destination, Hanagari, Karakura's neighboring town. It was almost exactly like Karakura but with a smaller, homier feel. It also wasn't as nice as Karakura, a part of the town living in poverty. _He'll never look for me here, _Rukia thought as she walked into down the streets of the small town, purposely going to the poorer part of the village.

This definitely reminded her of Rukongai; little shops run by people trailed the streets, the people yelling out to by their products.

"Hello little girl, would you like some fruit?" an old woman behind a counter said, her face worn and aging.

"Oh, no thank you, baa-san, I was just passing through," Rukia replied with a smile as she walked passed the shop.

She walked passed the small shopping center and went in between to apartment buildings.

"This should so," she said as she pulled out a small blanket from her backpack. She took all of her food out of the cart and put them on the side. She jumped into the cart and, using her backpack as a pillow, settled down for the night, the shopping cart as her bed. She looked up at the sky, the dark abyss overflowing with bright stars.

She shivered as she turned over, pulling the blanket higher up on her body.

"Its better this way…it's better for _everyone_ this way," she reminded herself as she went to sleep, refusing to let tears fall from her eyes.

* * *

_Not a day goes by_

_For the ones she left behind_

_They're always asking why_

_As thoughts of her consume their mind._

"No, Kurosaki-kun, you can't go!" Orihime yelled, tears filling her eyes.

"I have to go, Inoue. I have to bring her back…and beat in her ass for leaving…_again. _Don't you want her to come home?" Ichigo asked, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

"Y-yes, I want Kuchiki-san to return, but-" her tears began to flow over her eyes as she looked up to stare Ichigo in the face. She knew she couldn't stop him from leaving. She wanted him to say but she missed Rukia, too. She wanted to see Rukia again. "When you find her, please let her know that we want her back," she looked away again, "I promise anything…if she'd come back to us!" Orihime yelled, her tears streaming down her face.

_God please let her know_

_The love we tried to show_

_We promise anything_

_If you'd just bring her home._

Ichigo smiled, "Yeah, I'll make sure to tell her that."

"If you really want to go, then go. We'll cover for you, I guess," Uryu said, pushing up his glasses up with his middle finger.

"Ichigo," Chad started to say. Ichigo turned to look at his friend, looking into his one visible eye that showed pain but also confidence in his friend.

"You better come back…both of you."

"You got it," Ichigo said as turned to leave. He heard Orihime scream her regards out through her tears as he walked down the road, the road that led him to an unknown place, the road that led him to Rukia.

_Why Rukia, why?_

* * *

_He looked out the window and glanced back into the closet, where he found pieces of paper, each note starting to say goodbye but ended up crumbled and thrown on the closet floor._

_He picked up a piece of paper that had something written on the back of it. He gritted his teeth together and tore up the paper, letting the shredded pieces fall gracefully to the floor. He jumped on his bed and punched his pillow; the words written on the scrap goodbye note read themselves over and over in his mind._

"_**Rukia!"**_

_I shouldn't write anything… its better not to say goodbye._

_It hurts too much._

* * *

_She slammed the door with no goodbye_

_And knew that it was time._


	3. New People New Places

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in_

* * *

Ichigo wanted to shoot himself. _Damn it! I should have waited till morning before I left…Now what am I? An idiot searching for another idiot in the dark!_ Ichigo screamed in his mind. He wouldn't be in this situation if Rukia didn't go…but no. _She's too damn selfish, thinking everyone's happy without her, what an idiot. She should know we all care by now, damn it. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have gone to Soul Society save the sorry little brat's ass._

Ichigo was mad. When he found Rukia he knew he was going to kill her. But killing her would be the easy part. _Where the hell is she? Actually, where the hell am __I_Ichigo thought as he searched for a street sign, the sidewalk lights guiding his path. 

He continued to walk blindly until his eyes found a soft spot of dirt behind a building and decided to sleep there. "Wow, look at this. I went from a bed to a patch of dirt. I'm really gonna kill her." 

He lay down and looked up at the sky. "Hmm, a lot of stars tonight," he said to himself as he turned over in the dirt. "I will find you Rukia, and when I do, you're coming with me, even if I have to drag you…"

* * *

Rukia was in a daze as she heard voices around her. 

"Taka-nii, Taka-nii, look at this," a little girl yelled. Rukia heard footsteps come over to her. _Why can't I move…?_

"What! Me- Whoa, what is a girl like this doing here," another voice said. It sounded like a male's voice, deeper and more mature. He sounded older than Rukia.

"What should we do, Taka-nii-san?"

"Ugh, well, I guess we can't just leave her here…" the voice said as Rukia felt strong arms embrace her cold, unmoving body.

_Where are you taking me?_

* * *

Ichigo woke up feeling refreshed…dirty…but refreshed. "Man, I didn't know dirt could be so comfortable…" Ichigo said as he stood, cleaning off his now dirty jacket winter coat. 

After eating his breakfast, which he packed with him, Ichigo continued his journey. As he went, he asked every person he passed if they saw Rukia.

"Oh, excuse me. Have you seen a girl with really pale skin…jet black hair, a piece of it hangs over her eyes…she's about this tall," Ichigo asked putting his hand to the middle of his chest.

"No, I'm sorry I haven't."

"No, I'll keep a look out for her though."

"She's sounds cute…what's her name."

"I'm sorry young man, I haven't."

"Did she have purple eyes?" one man asked Ichigo. Ichigo nodded at the older gentleman. The man began to think.

"I think I did see her…yesterday afternoon. She was walking down the street with a shopping cart."

_A shopping cart…? _"Do you know which way she went?" Ichigo asked, his eyes turning a lighter, almost happier, shade of brown.

"Yeah, it looked like she was on the road that led to Hanagari…or was it Sakuyama…" the man pondered. Ichigo looked at him intently, waiting for the answer he has been searching all day for.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was Hanagari," the man said smiling.

"Thank you very much for your help," Ichigo said with a small bow, immediately running down the road to the Hanagari Intersection.

"You better watch out 'cause I'm coming, Rukia. I'm bringing you home."

_They're always asking why_

_As thoughts of her consume their minds_

* * *

_What…is this warmth I feel…? _Rukia thought as she slowly awoke from her sleep, realizing she was not in her small, cramp shopping cart anymore. With out opening her eyes, she felt her surroundings. She was in a comfy bed wrapped in warm sheets in a small, dark room. _NO!_

_Ichigo must have found me! He came and got me, didn't he! He followed me, found me, brought me back and put me in this damn closet again! _Rukia screamed in her mind, her eyes still closed. _Doesn't he know I'm only a useless burden to him!_

Disappointed by her failure, she sighed and sat up in bed, feeling unsteady as she rose. She opened her eyes when she noticed a wet, cold cloth had fallen from her head. As she opened her eyes and looked around, she wasn't in Ichigo's closet. She was still in Hanagari…or someplace else.

Rukia immediately got out of bed, wincing when her bare feet made contact with the cold, hardwood floor. _Where am I? _Rukia thought as she walked around the room, searching for her belongings. She walked over to a near by chair where she found her backpack hanging upon it. She put it on her back and headed for the window.

"I really don't think you should be leaving yet."

Rukia was alarmed when she heard a boy start to speak from behind her. She quickly turned on her heels to see a tall, handsome man leaning against the door frame. His black hair came down to the top of his eyes which were a shining crystal blue color. He was thin but still looked like a very strong, kind person about Ichigo's age. He walked towards Rukia.

"You shouldn't go yet. You still have a fever. Well, I guess that's what you get for sleeping outside in the middle of December in a shopping cart which was rolled into my backyard," he said as he silently laughed, shaking his head. 

Rukia didn't respond. She opened her mouth and pointed to the window but the boy put his hand up and started speaking again.

"If you're worried about your food, we have it in the kitchen, so relax," he said reassuringly. "So lay down if you don't want to die," he finished more casually with a smile, taking her by the arm and dragging her toward the bed.

Rukia let him drag her back to the bed. She sat down on it as she watched him pull over a chair and stand it next to the bed. He sat down. They stared at each other. 

"Do you talk…?" he said slowly.

Rukia nodded, signs of embarrassment showing on her face. "I-I'm Rukia Kuchiki…" she said blushing slightly. 

The boy snickered. "Oh, I'm Takashi Ayame," he said staring Rukia in the face, his blue eyes beginning to glow.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," she said quietly. _Causing trouble is all I do anyway…_

"No trouble, my sister and I were walking back from town when she noticed your shopping cart and called me over," he explained, "so I just picked you up and brought you inside. My mother noticed you had a fever and said you could rest here." 

"Oh, I'm sorry…" she said again, looking at the towel which she held in her hands.

"It's fine, really. Next time though, bring a heavier jacket," he said with a grin as he got up from his chair.

"Wait here, I'll be right back…so don't try to run again," he said sweetly as he left the room.

Rukia sighed heavily, sinking down into the sheets.

"_What_ have I gotten myself into!"


	4. Concerns of Violet and Brown

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in_

* * *

Rukia listened to the voices outside the bedroom door. _How many family members does he have? _Rukia thought, listening to all the noise. Suddenly, it quieted down and only three voices could be heard.

"Is she awake, Takashi?" one voice said. The voice sounded like the pitch of an older woman. _Must be the mother…_

"Yeah, she's up, Oka-san," Takashi replied. _Knew it…_

"Could I got see her now, Taka-nii!" the small girl which Rukia remembered from last night said loudly. Her mother quieted her down.

"No, not yet…you can see her when she comes down for dinner," the mother replied.

Rukia gulped, "Dinner?"

"Yay! She's gonna eat dinner with us!" the girl said, excitement overflowing from her voice. 

"Of course…she must be hungry," the mother responded.

Right on cue, Rukia stomach growled. She held her stomach and turned bright pink as she stared at the wooden door. Laughter could be heard from outside.

"Yup, she's hungry!" the girl laughed, "I'll help make dinner tonight, Oka-san, I want to talk to her," she finished, running down the hallway.

After the his sister left, Takashi and his mother walked in. His mother was tall and thin like her son with long, straight blonde hair that went down to her forearms. Her expression softened as she walked over to Rukia, kneeling next to her. Her slim arms rose up to Rukia's face as she rested her hand on her forehead. 

"Hmm, it feels like you still have a little fever…" Takashi's mother said, withdrawing her hand from Rukia's head.

"I hope you won't mind having dinner with us…um…" she said confused. Rukia realized what she was getting at and replied in her fake school girl voice.

"Rukia Kuchiki, Ayame-san. I'm sorry if I caused you and your family any trouble," she said, slightly bowing her head. Takashi stared at Rukia, obviously noticing the attitude change.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Rukia-Chan," Takashi's mother said with a smile, "Please call me Arisu. Ayame-san makes me sound old," she finished with laughter, slightly blushing.

Takashi laughed. Arisu turned around and glared at her son. Takashi stopped immediately and she turned back to Rukia.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Please rest until then. Takashi will stay with you," she said as she got up and left the room.

"So," Takashi started, "How did a girl like you end up in Hanagari?"

* * *

Ichigo walked down the street, the sun setting over the horizon behind him. He sighed heavily and continued walking down the dirt path. His stomach growled loudly as he stopped to search his bag for more food. He pulled out a bag of potato chips and walked in the street, eating dinner as he went along.

_If I'm like this…hungry, lost and cold…what must Rukia be like?_ He thought, concern for his friend filling his mind. _For all I know, she could be sleeping in that shopping car now…_ he thought, putting another chip into his mouth.

As quick as a shunpo-ing shinigami, night came, leaving Ichigo in the dark…again. Even in dark, Ichigo kept on walking for a while longer, happy to see where his nighttime stroll led him. He read the sign next to him out loud:

"Welcome to the small town of Hanagari. Our residents welcome you…"

"Hell yeah!" Ichigo yelled in satisfactory, "I finally got to the damn town!"

He walked to a near by tree and took off his bag, placing it under the tree. He declared to himself that this would be where he would stay the night.

"Tomorrow…I search the city…what fun," Ichigo sighed as he finished his chips, turning in for the night.

* * *

"…Oh, yeah. That would make sense-"

"Come on down guys, dinner's ready!" Arisu called from down stairs, her daughter cheering in the background. 

"Rukia-Rukia- I get to see Rukia!" she sang as she set the table.

Takashi sighed, "Come one…Megumi _really_ wants to see you," he said, getting up from his chair. Rukia rose and followed him down the stairs of their small apartment into the kitchen. It was a small, but useable kitchen, having a stove, refrigerator, and a table that could fit four people. Rukia's stomach growled as she smelled what Arisu cooked them for dinner, onigiri.

Just when she walked into the kitchen, Takashi's sister, Megumi, ran over to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. 

"Hi, Rukia! I'm sooooo happy to see you!" the young girl yelled, almost in hysterics.

"It's nice to meet you too, Megumi-Chan," Rukia smiled, patting her on the head.

"Okay, okay Megumi…time to eat," Arisu said, ripping Megumi off Rukia.

They sat down next to Takashi at the table. Arisu brought out a plate with ten rice balls on it. Rukia picked one up and took a bite. _Oh, it's good…really good._

Megumi took her rice ball and began to talk…and talk and talk.

"Ruuuukia! Hi, I'm Megumi Ayame. I'm 6 years old. I live here with my brother, Taka-nii-san, he's 16 and a half, and my mom, Oka-san, she's 37, and our cat, Timichii-Chan. Taka-nii and I and sometimes Timichii go out to buy groceries from the market everyday while Oka-san goes to work, she's a flouriest. It's lots of fun! Wanna come tomorrow!" Megumi finished, finally taking a bite of her rice ball. 

Rukia stared at Megumi, rice hanging from her mouth. Once she fully understood the question, a serious expression showed itself on her face as she put her food back on the plate.

"I was actually planning on leaving here tomorrow. I appreciate your hospitality but I cannot stay in one place for to long and I would want to cause trouble," Rukia responded solemnly, her face as cold as an iceberg.

"Aww, why can't you staaaay? You're soooo nice," Megumi whined, upset by the fact that Rukia was going to leave.

Takashi looked at Rukia then back to his family. "Well, Rukia and I were talking up stairs and she said she used to live with her two parents and her brother…um…what was his name again?"

"…Ichigo…" Rukia answered sadly.

"Yeah, her, Ichigo, and her parents lived in Karakura and they were happy there. Her mother died a couple months ago and her family became distant, her father was always working and her and Ichigo went to school all the time," Takashi looked at Rukia if he could keep going and Rukia nodded, staring at her dish.

"Rukia couldn't take the sadness that was in her house anymore, so she ran away. Even though she said she would miss her brother, the independence of being free from her life called out to her and she left. Now she thinks her brother is out looking for her to bring her back home…….Did I miss anything?" Takashi finished, looking at Rukia.

_She couldn't take one more day_

_Home was more a prison now _

_Independence called out_

_She had to get it._

Rukia smiled sadly, "No, you got every last detail."

She smiled both in the sadness of missing Ichigo and in the happiness of knowing all the lying she did in school actually helped in real life.

The dinner table pondered the words that had just been spoken. Arisu broke the awkward silence.

"What are your parents names, Rukia-Chan?" she asked. "I might have heard of them."

Rukia looked up. "Oh, my father's name…is…Byakuya! Yes. And my mother's name was…um…Hisana," Rukia said, hoping no one noticed her hesitation.

"Oh, I never heard of them. What does your father do?"

"Ano…he…he's a doctor!" Rukia said loudly, the idea hitting her to fast to contain herself. "Oh, sorry. He runs a clinic in town," she finished, her face turning red.

"Hmm, interesting…" Arisu pondered, trying to recall hearing the family name.

"I know, what if Rukia-nee stayed here to hide from her nii-san?" Megumi declared, taking another rice ball.

_WHAT!_

"That's fine with me. You can stay here as long as you like, Rukia-Chan. I don't mind at all," Arisu said, agreeing with her daughter.

Rukia didn't know what to do. If she stayed with them, they might be attacked by a Hollow and she really didn't want to explain that. If she left, she might be found by Ichigo or a search party of Death Gods that are sent to capture run-away shinigami. _But…_

Takashi sensed Rukia's hesitation.

"Hey, relax. You don't have to stay forever…just until you think it will be alright to leave. We have the space for one more person…so don't worry."

"…"

"Alright," Rukia finally said, giving into the kind family, "I guess…just for a little while…till I think its okay."

"YAY!" Megumi yelled, jumping up and down on her chair. "Rukia-nee-san's gonna be an AYAME!"

Ten minutes into dinner, Rukia excused herself from the table, saying the onigiri was delicious but she wanted to go in early to make sure her fever went away. Arisu said that she could sleep in Takashi's bed and he could sleep on the floor but Rukia refused and offered if she could sleep somewhere else.

Rukia turned light pink, "Ano…I could sleep in his closet…"

No one complained as they set up Rukia's bed in Takashi's closet. She put on Yuzu's pajamas that she had stole and closed the door to her new bed. Thoughts of Ichigo swam through her mind once more as a single tear rolled down her pale cheeks.

_I wonder if you're really out looking for me….Ichigo._


	5. A Walk Through Town

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in._

* * *

Ichigo woke up early the next morning. The sun was just showing itself over the horizon when the frost of the December morning woke him up. He ate his breakfast, an energy bar and a juice box, and began his short walk to the city, where he planned to search for Rukia that day.

He decided to look in the poorer part of the city first. _Rukia never did give a damn about busy, crowded places…_ Before he arrived into the town, he began his search, asking people if they had seen her. He used the same description:

"Have you seen a girl with really pale skin…jet black hair, a piece of it hangs over her eyes…she's about this tall," Ichigo always asked, putting his hand to the middle of his chest to indicate her height.

"Nah, sorry."

"No…she's short…your daughter?"

"Never heard of her…."

"You asked me already…go away!"

"Hello, young man would you like some fruit?" an old woman behind a counter said to Ichigo, her face worn from work and aging.

"No thank you. Have you seen a short pale skinned, black haired girl…that might be walking around with a shopping cart…?" Ichigo asked, expecting the same answer he had already gotten.

"…purple eyes?"

"Yeah, purple eyes, _big_ purple eyes!" Ichigo quickly responded, his attention being drawn to the lady.

"Why yes, I do remember, she rolled right passed my shop without even buying anything…" the woman sighed, shaking her head.

"…Rolled right passed your shop," Ichigo thought out loud, looking passed the small table. Her 'shop' was on a corner, the road ahead splitting into three different streets.

"Do you know which way she went?" Ichigo asked slightly confused.

"That way," the woman said, pointing toward the path to the far right.

"Thank you very much," Ichigo said with a bow as he began to walk off in the pointed direction.

"No…or was it that way…?"

Ichigo heard what the woman said and turned on his heels, facing the elderly lady. _What? You don't know, damn it!_

Ichigo calmed himself down, "Wait…you don't know which way."

The woman shook her head.

_Oh, forget this!_

"She walked right passed you! How do you not know where she went, damn it!" Ichigo exploded. Life can never be easy.

"Well… Memory does go with age, I suppose. Just try every direction," she finished with an innocent grin. Ichigo stormed off.

"All the world's a stage," Ichigo muttered under his breath, referring to Shakespeare, "and this is one hell of a play."

* * *

"Oh, Good morning." Takashi looked up from his book as he watched Rukia climb lazily out of the closet. She walked over to his bed and plopped down face first right next to Takashi.

"Gooh moorin'" Rukia responded through the covers.

"I heard your fever went away last night," Takashi said, putting his book on his bed.

Rukia nodded as she began to sit up on the bed, her eyes half open.

"Are you up to going to Hanro Michi with Megumi and me today, then?" Takashi asked, sweetly smiling like he always did.

_Hanro Michi…market street. _

Rukia shrugged. She didn't really feel like going. Besides, who knows what could attack them if they were walking in broad daylight with her.

"I guess so..." she agreed, only saying yes because she would not want to face Megumi's wrath if she reclined.

The two of them got changed and walked downstairs, Takashi wearing black cargo pants and a blue long sleeve shirt, Rukia wearing her only dress, the same one she wore the day before. It was covered in dirt, stains and brown spots showing through its light blue fabric.

Takashi looked her over, "Well have to buy you more clothes," he said as they walked into the kitchen. Rukia turned red and looked away.

Suddenly, Rukia felt something hit her from behind.

"Goooood morning Rukia-nee-san!" Megumi said, her arms once again wrapped around Rukia waist. Rukia smiled.

"Hello, Megumi-Chan. How are you today?"

"I'm great! Know why I'm great? 'Cause you're coming with us to Hanro Michi!" she yelled, running to sit at the kitchen table. Rukia followed her.

"Mom goes to work early each morning so I usually cook breakfast. Tell me what you think?" Takashi told her, putting a plate full of food in font of her.

Rukia took a bite of the Natto in front of her. She chewed it for a moment… _Oh God!_

Rukia thought she was going to barf. She forced herself to swallow the soy beans. After finishing her first spoon full she smiled, the color draining from her face.

"It's very good, Takashi. I'm sorry but I'm not that hungry this morning," she said, pushing the plate towards him, "I wouldn't want to waste your food."

"It's alright," he said placing the dish on the floor, "The cat will eat it."

Right on cue, a small door could be heard opening as small footsteps came toward the kitchen. The cat jumped on the table. Rukia screamed.

"Yoruichi!"

The two siblings looked at her.

"No. This is our adorable cat, Timichii-Chan!" Megumi said, petting the animal.

"Who's Yoruichi?" Takashi asked, taking a bite of his breakfast.

_Crap! _"Oh, um, she was my old cat…when I used to live at my house. Yes! That looks like my old cat, Yoruichi!" Rukia declared confidently, pointing at the cat.

"Oh, that's cool," Takashi simply said, continuing to eat his breakfast.

"Now let's go to Hanro Michi now," Megumi decided, putting her dish in the sink.

"All right, one second. I'm almost- hey!" Takashi yelled as Megumi took his plate with his food on it and threw it in the garbage.

"Fine!" Takashi yelled, grabbing his jacket, "Let's just go!"

They walked down the road to the market place, its streets bustling with people. They came from one of the three streets that led to the market place which Ichigo looked at. They came from the one all the way to the left. Ichigo went to the path all the way to the right. Rukia went up to the older woman from the other day.

"Hello, again." She said to the old woman on the corner, selling fruit.

The woman looked at her, glanced to the path Ichigo took and then looked back at her.

She pointed to the path Ichigo went down.

"You should go down there," she said smiling, "you may be surprised by what you see."

Takashi walked over. "No Rukia, we can't go that way. That's the bad part of town where all the thugs and the criminals live. It's actually pretty hard to come out of there alive," he finished laughing as the two moved on to a different shop.

But that's the way Ichigo went.

* * *

"Hey, what the hell is this!" Ichigo yelled, finding himself cornered in an alleyway, thugs with metal bats and chains blocking his path.

"This is what you get for messin' with us," one of the drunkards said, raising his bat.

"How the hell did I mess with you?" Ichigo yelled back, wanting an explanation.

"You came into our territory. That's a crime itself. Anyone who does that has to deal with us!" another thug said, charging at Ichigo with a bat. Ichigo punched him out of the way.

"Damn yakuza…"

"What'dya say!"

And the fight began. Ichigo brought down everyone who charged at him. But his mind was on other matters.

_I'm gonna kill that damn old lady!_

* * *

They came back from an enjoyable day at the Hanro Michi, everyone laughing and grinning with groceries in their arms. That afternoon, Megumi had her lesson from Takashi. Arisu didn't have enough money to send Megumi to school so Takashi taught her some things every afternoon.

While they were having their lessons, Rukia pulled out her drawing pad and lay on Takashi's bed. She tried to draw him. He wanted to capture all his features, his long, thin face, his light blue eyes, his jet black hair.

When Takashi went up stairs to tell Rukia that dinner was ready, she showed him the picture. He turned the slightest shade of pink and laughed, telling her she did a great job.

They came down stairs for dinner, having a different flavored onigiri then the night before. Arisu came home from work.

"So…how was the Hanro Michi?" She asked Rukia, her mouth overflowing with rice. _It must have been a long day at work._

"Oh, it was a lot of fun, Arisu-san. The Hanro Michi had so many things to buy. It was amazing," Rukia said, wiping rice off her face.

"It was sooooo much fuuun," Megumi replied, taking another serving.

"Hey Rukia, we got you something."

"Rukia looked over to Takashi to see him holding a box. He walked over and gave it to her. She opened the brown cardboard container to see a beautiful, new light purple dress, a white winter jacket, and a new pair of shoes.

"Oh! Thank you so much….everyone!"

* * *

"Damn lady….damn thugs…damn city…ow!" Ichigo yelled as he cleaned and bandaged the bleeding wounds on his face. The thugs were weaklings but there were a lot of them. A lot. He beat them all though…of course.

"Ugh…I wonder if Rukia ran into those guys…" he said, panic coming over him. He calmed himself down.

"So…what path tomorrow, middle or left?" he asked himself.

_I guess I'll go left tomorrow… or the center one…._

"Ahh, I'll figure it out then, damn it!"


	6. Encounter in the Street

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in_

* * *

"All right, time to start another day!" Takashi said as he jumped out of bed, throwing his arms in the air. He looked out his window; the sun was just starting to show itself in his backyard. "It's still early. Guess I'll go and start breakfast for everyone…they should still be sleeping anyway…," he sighed, scratching his head as he walked down stairs to the kitchen. "Whoa."

Everyone was awake and moving, well, everyone except Rukia. Arisu was making breakfast and getting ready for work…at the same time. Megumi was setting the table, throwing the dishes on the wooden table making them clash loudly. Takashi grabbed her hand.

"Shhh, Rukia's still sleeping," Takashi said quietly. Megumi nodded and continued setting the table, the dishes quietly making contact with the wood.

"Ah, hey Takashi, good morning! You three going to the market today," Arisu asked, stirring the Natto.

"Yeah maybe, we should leave soon but Rukia isn't up yet and I don't want to wake her. Maybe Megumi and I will just go alone…," Takashi sighed, sitting in a chair.

"No! Rukia-nee-san has to come with us!" Megumi whined, stamping her feet. Takashi kneeled down next to her.

"Hey, if Rukia gets a good sleep, when we come back you can play with her all you want because she'll be awake and ready. What fun is it playing with a tired, lazy Rukia?" Takashi smiled, patting her head.

"Yeah, you're right! Then let's go to the market now," Megumi smiled, eating some of her Natto. 

Arisu smiled as she walked out the door, "You three have a good time."

"Alright, we'll go. Let me just get changed," he said as he walked back up stairs to his room. He silently closed the door and walked over to the closet. _Maybe she's awake…_

He opened the door to his closet to see a soundly sleeping Rukia, Hair covering her face and her small body curled up into a ball, making it appear much smaller than usual. Takashi smiled and pushed her hair out of her face. He bent down to her sleeping form…

"You brought life back to my family, you know that?" he whispered into Rukia's ear. He smiled again and took a piece of her hair into his fingers, beginning to play with the lock of black hair.

"Megumi and I are going to the market, we'll be back soon, 'kay?" he informed her as he dropped her hair and quietly closed the closet door. 

He got dressed quickly and went down stairs. He met Megumi at the door and they went to do their shopping for the day. 

_Rukia…wow._

* * *

"Great…another day of hide-and-seek…" Ichigo mumbled as he got up from his 'bed', a pile of dead leaves, and began to interrogate the city once more. He decided that he wouldn't go to the intersection with the crazy old lady again; he would try a different path.

_Crazy old lady…_Ichigo winced just at the thought of that strange woman. 

"Insane hag…" Ichigo muttered as he walked to the market place, its streets bustling as usual. He began to ask around again for Rukia but no one's ever heard of her. 

He sighed, _Are you even here, Rukia? _He asked himself. Suddenly, he smacked himself in the face, _Why am I even trying so hard? She should be fine on her own, damn it! So why am I even here? Why do I want her to come back so badly anyway?!_

He decided to ask two kids that were standing near one of the shops. The boy looked about his age and was a little shorter than him with jet black hair. The little girl next to him looked five or six; her short blonde hair blew in the December wind.

He walked over to them.

"Hey, have you seen a girl with really pale skin and jet black hair, a piece of it hangs over her eyes. She's really short and has a really big temper…" Ichigo asked the two, scratching his head.

The boy seemed surprised by his question but shook his head. The little girl looked up at him.

"Do you mean Ruk-" the girl stopped herself and covered her mouth.

_What?! Rukia!!_

* * *

"You know where Rukia is?" the tall boy with the spiky orange hair asked immediately, his eyes showing a ray of hope. Takashi bent down next to Megumi.

"Hey, Megu-nee, go over there and buy us three pounds of rice, okay? I'll come help you lift it when I'm done."

Megumi nodded and quickly ran away. Takashi looked at the man in front of him.

"Rukia…please tell me where Rukia is!" the tall boy asked desperately, his eyes begging.

"To be honest with you…" Takashi sighed, "I don't know where she is…anymore," he lied, scratching his head giving a phony smile. Ichigo grabbed him.

"Do you have any idea where she is now…or where she went?! Please! Tell me! I've been looking for that freakin' brat! Please! Where's Rukia?!" the boy shook Takashi. Takashi broke his grip.

"All she did was ask for directions and…well, she just …left," Takashi attempted to lie. He wasn't a very good liar and wasn't that crafty when he was in a bad situation. The orange-haired boy shook his head.

"Tell me the truth! Rukia has to much pride…she's to stubborn to ask for directions! Tell me!" he yelled agrily, lifting Takashi from the ground, holding onto his shirt. Takashi grabbed his hand.

"Why are you so determined to find her, huh?! You want to take her back home with you?! Are you in love with her or something!?" Takashi screamed back in rage, ripping Ichigo's hand from his shirt. _Why does this guy make me so…mad?_

* * *

Ichigo immediately dropped the angry boy. Too much was happening at once, he had to think.

_Are you in love with her or something!? _

Ichigo shook his head; _This isn't the time to be thinking of that! No...I can't be…that's stupid! Why would I fall for…no! Hell no! That's not it!_

Ichigo looked up, "It's not that, it's just that she needs to come home. Everyone is worried about her and…so am I," Ichigo admitted, bowing his head. He looked up.

"Are you sure you don't know where she is?"

* * *

"I told you already! I-I don't know…I really don't know anymore…" Takashi told him, trying to calm himself down. The boy in front of him smiled sadly.

"Okay, I'm sorry for causing you trouble," the spiky haired boy said as he walked away. He turned around and looked straight at Takashi.

"Hey, I'll be around town for the next day or two so if you see her, let me know. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki," he told him with a wave. 

_Ichigo…Kurosaki…?_

**"_Do you talk…?"_**

_**I-I'm Rukia Kuchiki…"**_

**"_Well, Rukia and I were talking up stairs and she said she used to live with her two parents and her brother…um…what was his name again?"_**

**"…_Ichigo…" Rukia answered sadly._**

_How can they be brother and sister if their family names are different…Ichigo Kurosaki…Rukia Kuchiki…_

Takashi was pushed out of his thoughts and smiled back.

"I'm Takashi Ayame and, sure, I'll let you know," Takashi said, walking away.

"See ya."

* * *

_I was so close! Now that I definitely know you're here, I'll find you Rukia…I swear it!_


	7. Thinking of You

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away _

_She left all she had believed in_

"Hey, we're home!" Takashi yelled into his almost empty house as him and Megumi walked through the door, bags of groceries overflowing from their hands. Rukia ran down the stairs and helped them bring the bags in.

"You guys went early today. You should've woken me up," Rukia told them, putting a can in the refrigerator. Takashi shrugged.

"I guess I didn't want to wake you. You seemed really tired last night," Takashi replied, passing her another can. _Good thing I didn't take you too, or you would have run into your so-called brother, Ichigo Kurosaki._

"Hey Megumi, go set up your notebook in the living room, I'll come in a second," he told his sister who happily obeyed his demand. He looked at Rukia.

"Hey, your brother's name is Ichigo…right?" he asked Rukia. Rukia turned around looking surprised by his question. She sighed sadly.

"Yes, Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki-"

"How come you tow have different last names?!" Takashi asked before she could finish her answer. Signs of worry could be seen through Rukia's violet eyes.

_Uhhhh…Damn it! _"We're…adopted!" Rukia said loudly. Takashi looked at her with an unsure glance. Rukia reassured him.

"W-well, you see, Ichigo was adopted but…he never really like my father and…didn't want to take the Kuchiki name so….so… he kept Kurosaki."

"Oh, all right," Takashi said emotionlessly leaving the room. _I'll believe that…for now._

_He's becoming suspicious…I really should leave soon, _Rukia thought sadly, putting more food into the cabinet. _But…I like it here, _she admitted to herself. She smacked herself in the face. _Yeah well, I liked it with Ichigo too, and he nearly died. I have to remember, I'm not human. Shinigami attract Hollows. If I don't leave soon, they __all__ might die!_

Rukia ran upstairs and jumped on Takashi's bed, his white pillow absorbing her tears.

_That's it. I'm leaving again…I'm leaving tomorrow._

* * *

Ichigo sat at the side of the main road, the dirt from the path being pushed into his face. He didn't care. That boy's words replayed themselves through his mind. He had to have more information on Rukia if he so much already. But still, what he said to him…was it true?

"_Why are you so determined to find her, huh?! _

_You want to take her back home with you?! _

_Are you in love with her or something!?"_

… _**In love with her…**_

"_You ready for this, Rukia!"_

"_Ready as I'll ever be!"_

_Rukia_

"_Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!"_

_Rukia_

"_Ichigo!"_

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled in rage as he ran of the city. He ran and ran until he was back at the city gate where he would come back to sleep. He dove under the tree and covered his head with his hands.

"You're driving me insane Rukia!! Why did you go?! Why…"

_They're always asking why_

_As thought of her consume their minds_

* * *

Takashi walked into his room to see Rukia on his bed staring at an old magazine. He smiled and closed the door. Rukia heard him and looked up from her magazine to see Takashi sitting next to her on the bed. She sat up.

"So…Megumi any smarter?"

Takashi laughed. "A little."

He looked at her magazine, the word _MOMO _written in bright orange letters.

_Hmm, let's experiment…_

"What'cha lookin' at?" Takashi grinned, grabbing the magazine from Rukia's hands.

"HEY! I was reading that!" Rukia yelled, jumping up from the bed. "Give it back!"

"Oh, well, you'll have to get it from me," he replied, holding the magazine over his head. "Come on, midget!"

Rukia looked at him in shock. _He's- he's just like Ichigo!_ "Yeah, well, bring it!" Rukia yelled, jumping towards him.

_Ichigo_

Takashi dodged Rukia's punch and pushed her back. Rukia began to growl. Then, Rukia charged at Takashi and slid in between his legs. She stood up and kicked him from behind. Takashi fell on the hard wood floor, the magazine falling from his hands. Rukia caught the magazine before it hit the ground.

"No one ca beat a Kuchiki!" Rukia stated, looking at the magazine. "What now, Strawberry!"

_Ichigo_

She looked over to Takashi and saw that he wasn't getting up.

"Oh, Takashi, are you alright?" she asked running over to him. Takashi sat up.

"I guess you're not the nice girl you fooled us into thinking, huh?" Takashi laughed as Rukia blushed and turned away.

_Hey, have you seen a girl with really pale skin and jet black hair, a piece of it hangs over her eyes. She's really short and has a really big temper…_

_**Really big temper…**_

_Yeah…Tell me about!_

Takashi got up and sat on his bed. Rukia, still embarrassed by his statement, hid in her closet. Takashi laughed.

"So…who's 'Strawberry?'" Takashi asked, lying back on his pillow. _Why's my pillow wet?_

"I…I used to call …my brother that," Rukia mumbled through the closed door, "He had orange spiky hair and we always made fun of him for it."

_So I guess the guy this morning was him. _"You miss him?"

"I…I shouldn't. It's better for him that I'm gone. All I did was cause him pain," Rukia said from the dark, small closet.

"Well, I bet he doesn't think that but it's your life, Rukia. Do what you want with it," he said as he slid open the closet door to tears overflowing from Rukia deep violet eyes

Suddenly, he embraced Rukia, Rukia's hands slowing going around his waist. She embraced him back.

_I'm finally on my own_

_Don't try to tell me No_

_There's so much more for me_

_Just watch what I will be._

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in._

**"It's your life, Rukia. Do what you want with it."**


	8. Dreaming in White

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in_

* * *

"Ru-Rukia?" Ichigo called from the bustling crowd in the market place. Why couldn't she hear him? He ran through the crowd over to her, noticing her knee length pale purple dress, its cloth beautifully framing her small body. He continued to run, seeing that she was with the Ayame kid he met. _I knew he knew more about her!_

"Rukia!" he yelled out again, this time Rukia hearing his call. She looked over at him from the crowd; her purple eyes becoming flooded with fear and panic. Ichigo called her again, continuing his way through the thick crowd. This time, Rukia looked at Ayame and began to run away.

"Where are you going, Rukia?! Why are you leaving again, damn it?! I'm gonna get you!!" Ichigo cried as he finished his way out of the crowd and began to run toward Rukia.

Suddenly, every seemed to move in slow motion as he passed Ayame. Ichigo just glanced over to him but Ayame's usual crystal blue eyes were darker as he glared through him, dark with hate and disgust. Ichigo's stomach twisted as he passed Ayame, the world returning to its original speed.

He chased her as she ran down the center path, its streets deserted of people.

"Rukia, stop!"

"Why are you doing this?!" Rukia yelled as she ran.

"What do you mean?! I came to get you after you left without saying anything, damn it! Do you know how worried Inoue is, how upset everyone is? How-how scared I was, Rukia? I don't know what your problem is and, right now, I really don't care!! So stop running cause gonna get you and take you ho-"

"**I hate you Ichigo Kurosaki!!"**

Ichigo almost stopped in his tracks.

"W-What?"

"Why do you think I left?! I left because I hated my life, hated that place, HATED YOU!!" Rukia screamed as she ran, not showing her face to Ichigo. Suddenly, Rukia began to get farther and father away.

_I'm finally on my own_

_Don't try to tell me No_

_There's so much more for me_

_Just watch what I will be_

_I can go faster than this! Why won't my legs move?! _Ichigo yelled in his mind as he chased Rukia down the empty streets. Then, he felt something wet hit his face. He looked at Rukia's back to see water flying from her face, tears. _She's…crying._

"I-I know you don't mean that!!" Ichigo yelled as he sped up, getting closer and closer to Rukia, "I know you love Karakura! That's why you didn't stay in Soul Society. You came back to us! You came back to Inoue…and Chad…and Ishida. And you came back to me, which means you don't hate me Rukia! You don't!"

Rukia didn't reply as she skidded to a stop and turned down a dark long alleyway. Ichigo ran after her, running into the mysterious place. Suddenly, Rukia ran into a dead end, the passage way covered by iron fencing. She turned to Ichigo, her tears replaced with sheer rage and anger. She raised her arm, the palm of her hand facing him.

"If you won't leave me alone, I'LL _**MAKE **_YOU GO AWAY!!" she screamed into the air. Ichigo stood still as her hand began give off an eerie red glow, a circle forming in her palm.

"_HADOU #31! SHOT OF RED FIRE!!"_

A circle of fire shot itself from her hand and flew straight towards Ichigo; Ichigo dove to the side and dodged it.

"Rukia! What the hell? Are you _trying _to kill me?!" Ichigo yelled as he dodged and dodged upcoming fire balls.

"Maybe I am!" Rukia screamed back as she continued showering him with her Kidou.

Ichigo ducked and dodged, making his way toward Rukia. Rukia screamed.

"**GET AWAY!!"**

Suddenly, her hand turned a different color, a pale blue glow. An oval formed in her hand.

"_HADOU #33! PALE FIRE CRASH!"_

A pale blue fire ball which was larger than the last one came out of her palm and made its way toward its target, Ichigo. Ichigo jumped on a garbage can, using it as a springboard, and leaped over the blast and landed right in front of Rukia.

Before Rukia could react, Ichigo wrapped his arms around her and brought her to his chest, embracing her violently shaking body.

"It's okay , Rukia. I'm gonna take you home now," Ichigo told his friend as he pulled her closer to him. Just then, black butterflies swirled around the two, leaving them in a total black abyss. When the butterflies flew away, Ichigo was alone. Rukia wasn't there. She was no where. She was gone.

"Rukia?! Rukia? Rukia!!" Ichigo yelled as he fell to his knees.

"Where? Where did you go?" Ichigo said as he fell to the ground, his face crashing into the dirt. His eyes closed shut as he felt the rain start to fall over his head.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes when he felt water hit his face. He shot up and looked at the dark night sky, the rain starting to pour from its clouds. He looked around him, recognizing that he was back under the tree which he went under to sleep. _So it was all a dream...all of it!_

"Damn it!" Ichigo yelled as he punched the muddy ground repeatedly, the watery dirt coming up and hitting him in the face. "Rukia, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Ichigo stopped and looked at his now muddy and bloody hand. He glanced at the sky.

"What the hell is wrong with me?'

_"Why are you so determined to find her, huh?! You want to take her back home with you?! Are you in love with her or something!?" _

_Why am I even trying so hard? _**_Because I want her to come back. _**

_She should be fine on her own, damn it! _**_She may be fine but I'm not. I need her._**

_So why am I even here? _**_I'm here to take her home. _**

_Why do I want her to come back so badly anyway?! _**_Because...because I love her. _**

**_I'm in love with Rukia._**

An idea popped into Ichigo's mind as he grabbed his bag and dug through his belongs, taking out the pendent that his father gave him that used to belong to his mother before she died. Now, Ichigo wasn't religuous and never prayed. Why pray to the God that took your mother away from you? But this was an emergency. What if he couldn't find her again? So he decided to pray, pray for her safety and pray for her return, her return to him.

He clutched his charm with both hands and held it up to his forehead in the middle of the pouring ran. He began to yell, yell so God can hear him.

"_Please! Tell her we want her! That she's needed! Tell her we want her back!! Please! Tell her we…Tell her we __love__ her!! And Tell her… Tell her to come home! Because…because that's where she belongs!!"_

_Tell her we love her_

_And tell her she's wanted_

_One more thing God…_

_Tell her please come home!_

_Please come home!_

Once he finished his yell, lightning hit the ground, causing a home in the city to catch fire, its smoke filling the sky. Ichigo sighed and put his pendent back into his bag. He wiped his face which was now soaking wet and covered in mud. We stood up and began to run toward the house.

_It's probably not important but still…Rukia might be there._

He reached the home which was burning to the ground, he ran into the house and saw her. Rukia was in the middle of the house in her shinigami robes, tears rolling down her face. A bloody sword was in her hand and her thought he saw bodies on the floor.

"Rukia."

And the black sky was slightly brightened when the plummeting rain turned into pure white snow.

* * *

**Check out the poll on my page that goes along with this stroy please! I would really like your input!!**


	9. Night of Innocent Blood

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away _

_she left all she had believed in..._

* * *

"Where are you going nee-san?"

Rukia turned away from the door she was about to open to see Megumi in her fleece pajamas, her wide blue eyes staring intently at her. Rukia bent down next to her to be at her eye level.

"It's time for bed, Megumi-Chan. I'm going in for the night," she said with a smile as she stood up and patted her on the head. Megumi sighed.

"Aw…all right…good night Rukia-nee-san! I'll see you tomorrow, right?!" Megumi yelled as she hugged Rukia and ran off to her room.

Rukia sighed and turned back to the door. She couldn't say she would see her tomorrow because she was leaving, again. She decided she would leave early the next morning before everyone was awake, so no one would see her. Suddenly, sadness came over her as she opened the door to Takashi's room and saw him sitting on his bed….waiting for her.

"What's up?" he asked seriously, "Is something wrong?"

Rukia blinked, letting the question roll through her mind again. "No, I'm fine. Why? You think something is wrong?"

Takashi lay back on his bed, "Don't play dumb. You were too cheerful at dinner…and you actually acted like yourself instead of putting on some cheesy act. What's up?"

Rukia walked over to the window and began to stare out into the empty backyard, the rain crashing onto its ground. _Of course…it rains once again._

"Nothing's wrong, can't I act like myself for once?" Rukia said with her hands on her hips, turning away from the window to look at Takashi who was staring at the plain white ceiling.

"Whatever…," he sighed as he got up from his bed walked over to the window where she was staring out the window. "What do you want to do tomorrow?" he asked, leaning against the windowsill.

Rukia quickly turned away, knowing that they couldn't do anything together tomorrow because she would be gone.

"We'll…think about it tomorrow," she tried to cover, walking toward her closet. Suddenly, she felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. She turned around rapidly and ended up staring up into the serious face of Takashi Ayame, his light blue eyes sparkling in the light.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Takashi asked again, keeping his firm grasp on Rukia's shoulder. Rukia stared at him in disbelief until she finally realized he asked a question.

Rukia took a deep breath, "Yes _I'm_fine. Relax Takashi, you get too worried way too easily!" Rukia said turning away. She jumped into her closet.

Takashi smiled, "Okay, okay. See ya tomorrow."_ She seems a little better now at least..._

And for another night again, Rukia cried herself into a sound sleep in her closet. A sleep so sound she was unaware of everything…even a Hollow attack...even a suffering family.

Sfdghjklioh.blgiv7utyfsdrbyhiklobmjtyer

"WHAT?!"

Takashi was awakened with a loud crash and jolted up in his bed, panic and worry overcoming him. _What's going on? Is someone robbing the house? Is everyone okay…Rukia!_

Takashi jumped out of bed and ran to the closet. He opened the door quickly to see Rukia still sleeping in her usually place, her arms wrapped around a Chappy plushie. He couldn't help but smile slightly as he closed the door to her tiny bedroom. He walked out side into the hallway to and saw his mother closing the door to his sister's room.

"What's going on, oka-san?" Takashi whispered as he walked over to Arisu.

"I don't know…but Megumi's fine. Is Rukia-Chan okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. I checked. Should we go down there and see what's going on?"

The small house shook as another loud crash was heard from the first floor. The mother and son looked at each other. The next moment, they were running down the stairs into their kitchen to see a huge hole in the wall. They looked up to see a large monster with many slimy tentacles and sharp teeth outside their house, its white mask shiny and wet from the plummeting rain. It was a Hollow.

"What the hell is that?" Takashi yelled as he stood in front of the monster, the rain coming into the house.

"I don't know but we got to get it outta here!! Takashi, go get a bat from the garage! We're gonna fight this thing!" Arisu yelled as she ran to the drawer with the silver wear in it. She began throwing the drawer's population of knives at the beast. The weapons pierced his skin but did not do damage to the treacherous Hollow.

By the time Arisu used up all of her knives, Takashi had brought two metal battles from the garage. He threw one to his mother who caught it easily. They ran toward the Hollow.

"Let's go!"

Arisu began hitting the Hollows legs with the metal object as Takashi jumped on the table and tried to bash the Hollow on the mask. But they were kicked and thrown away by the monster. The Hollow laughed.

"**You petty little humans….I'm surprised you can even see me…but this is the end!"**

Arisu and Takashi got up from where they were thrown to, the two bloody from impact with the floor. They grabbed their bats and went at it again and again, each attempt ending in their failure.

At one point, the bats were thrown out of their reach as they stood in front of the Hollow totally defenseless.

"Heh, what now Takashi? Is this it?" Arisu asked, exhausted and dissy from lack of blood.

"**You are fun to play with….I wonder how easily your body parts fall off…heh,"**

"No, we have to keep at it until this guy is gone. Just chill, oka-san, I'll take care of the rest," Takashi told his mother as he picked a extra knife off the floor and charged at the Hollow again.

Surprisingly he caught the Hollow off guard and, jumping off the kitchen table, slashed the Hollow in the mask. The Hollow screamed in agony as he swatted Takashi away, his body crashing into the table.

"Takashi!!" Arisu yelled, running over to her son. Takashi got up and looked at her, blood covering his smiling face.

"We gotta protect Rukia and Megumi, oka-san. Let's keep fighting."

"**Ahhh! You know, that really hurt! I'm going to kill you !" **The Hollow yelled as he ran into the house, his goal to step on the fighting pair.

Suddenly, a small whimper could be heard and Arisu and Takashi turned around, fear covering their faces completely.

"Wha-What's going on?" Megumi cried softly when she saw her family covered in blood, unaware of the Hollow running towards them.

"MEGUMI!! RUN!"

"Run from what? I don't see any-"

"**RUN MEGUMI!!"**

**CRASH!**

* * *

Rukia suddenly jolted out of bed, feeling the spiritual pressure of the Ayame family fall rapidly. She jumped out of the closet. Takashi wasn't in his bed.

"What's going on?"

_Please come home_

* * *

**I reallY don't know what to say...how about...intense much? You'll have to see what happens...sorry about the cliffhanger. I hope you liked it. Poor Megumi! She couldn't even see it! those two are pretty good fighters! But they should've ran instead!!**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**


	10. Bitterness in Turths and Goodbyes

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_she left all she had believed in_

_She walked away..._

* * *

"What's going on?"

Rukia ran out of Takashi's bedroom and stood in the hallway. She took a deep breath and focused. Their spiritual pressure was gone. The Ayame's were gone. _No. This can't be happening, this can't be happening…This can't!_

Rukia automatically popped a Soul Candy in her mouth and ran down the steps of the shaking home, her zanpaku-to at her side. She sprinted into the kitchen to see a giant Hollow in the room, its attention being drawn to her.

"**Oh, what's this? A shinigami? Oh, this is just too much fun!"**

"Rukia? A shinigami?"

Rukia turned to the corner of the kitchen to see the Ayame family in the corner. Takashi stood in front of his sibling and mother, Arisu holding a crying Megumi in her arms. AT the sight of the family, Rukia stiffened slightly and turned away from them, facing the Hollow.

"Yes, I am a shinigami," she said, stepping forward, "A shinigami who kills disgusting asses like this one," she finished, drawing her zanpaku-to.

"**Hey little girl, that hurts. But not as much pain as your gonna feel when I kill you and bet the crap out of them!"**

Suddenly, a howl could be heard through the room. Rukia's body began to glow white as her zanpaku-to changed color.

"Try me."

In a flash, she was behind the Hollow. Four icicles fell from her pure white blade as a circle formed around her. She screamed in rage.

"_**T**__**sugi no mai, Hakuren."**_

A blast of snow and ice comes from Rukia's zanpaku-to and freezes the Hollows legs. The Ayame family stares on in amazement as the Hollow laughs.

"**What's wrong girly? You miss?"**

"No, I just want you to have an extremely painful death."

Rukia appears in front of the Hollow again, her sword out of its shikai form, as she brings her sword downward, cutting the Hollows head off completely. Rukia landed gracefully on the ground as the Hollow disappeared behind her, its blood covering her face and her sword.

"R-Rukia! You did it! You're amazing!" Takashi yelled in joy as he ran over in excitement. But when he got to Rukia, he saw tears streaming down her face.

"Rukia? What's wrong?"

Rukia didn't answer but kept on crying hysterically. Takashi walked over closer. Suddenly, Rukia grabbed a broken chain that was coming out of a hole in his chest. Takashi smiled sadly and put his hand on Rukia's, now knowing the reason for her tears.

"Yeah, I know…I…I died. We all did…," Takashi said sadly, looking over to the side to see the bodies of him and his family, their blood and broken chains splattered across the wet, hardwood floor.

"But it's okay…it's not your fault."

"Yes it is! I should have been here and protected you! I shouldn't have just slept through the whole damn thing, clueless of what was happening! I could have killed him!! If I killed him, you would be alive!! All of you!! Why does this happen everywhere I go?! Why does this- WHY?!"

Takashi's hand came up to her face and wiped some of the Hollow's blood off her pale face. Megumi and Arisu walked over to her.

"It's all right nee-san. It wasn't your fault, like Taka-nii-san said. And it didn't even hurt," Megumi said, her arms wrapping around Rukia's waist.

"It was painless Rukia-Chan, there is no need to feel guilty," Arisu agreed wiping off Rukia's wet face.

The rain flowed into the large hole in the wall as the rain began to crash down harder. Rukia walked away from everyone and unsheathed her sword, its blade still covered in the Hollow's blood. The three souls watched her in awe.

"Rukia what are you doing?"

"You-you do not need to w-worry because…because you are bound for a-a better place, the-the Soul Society. There your…your souls will be a peace."

"What? What are you saying Rukia?"

"Takashi, she is a shinigami. It is her job to pass us on, am I right?" Arisu explained, seriousness coming over her face.

Rukia nodded, her body beginning to shake less violently. She looked up. "It is the duty of us...soul reapers...to pass on the spirits of the...of the dead," her voice cracked slightly on the last word. _I am a shinigami...this is what I have to do. These damn human emotions I...I hate them so much!_

"Will-will is hurt?" Megumi asked, hiding behind her mother's legs. Rukia smiled a little.

"Do not worry, the Konsou is painless. All I do is tap you on the head with the sheath of my sword and...and you're done," she said biting her lip, "So...who's...first?"

"I'll go," Arisu said, stepping forward. Rukia nodded her tears starting up again as she tapped Arisu on the head with her sword, her spiritual body beginning to vanish.

"I'm-I'm so sorry, Arisu-san! You make the greatest onigiri I have ever had! I'm so sorry!!" Rukia yelled while she was disappearing. Arisu smiled.

"Don't worry about it."

"OKA-SAN!!"

Megumi cried as her mother disappeared right before her eyes, a hell butterfly taking her place. The black butterfly gracefully jumped off the ground and flew into the black sky, dodging the rain.

"Don't worry, Megumi-Chan, you'll be with her soon," Rukia choked out, tapping her on the head with her sheath. A blue sign appeared on Megumi's head as she began to disintegrate.

"You...you were so much fun to play with...Megumi-Chan."

Megumi smiled, "I'll see you later Rukia-nee-san, okay?" she waved as she disappeared, leaving Rukia and Takashi alone in the rain.

"Do-do I have to leave?" Takashi asked, fear coming through his mind.

"Yes...if you do not go...you will turn into a monster like the one you just saw," Rukia said truthfully, her eyes cold and dark, no emotion could be seen in her face.

"Oh, all right, I guess it's better to stay with Megumi and oka-san anyway...um...will I ever see you again?"

"I-I don't know. You will be sent to Rukongai...and there are many districts...I will try to look for you there."

"Oh, well, all right. You can do it now."

And with that, Rukia tapped him on the forehead, his body disappearing before her eyes.

"I'm sorry...Takashi," she whispered softly.

"No need to be sorry. I'll see you soon," he said happily, embracing her before he disappeared completely. Rukia hugged him back and cried in his arms, his body slowly leaving her side.

"You made my life...and death so much happier...Rukia," Takashi said as he disappeared into the sky, his butterfly flying off with him.

"T-Takashi...Takashi...Takashi!" Rukia cried, the rain drowning out her voice.

Just then, a stray bolt of lightning hit the destroyed house, setting it in flames. _I should just stay here...Stay here so I can die...I'm not needed...I kill, I hurt, I...am nobody. I deserve to die. _She stood in the flames, waiting for her death to come to her. _I'm sorry everyone, Takashi, Megumi, Arisu-san. Renji, Inoue, Nii-sama. I'm sorry..._

_ Ichigo._

"Rukia."

And the black sky was slightly brightened when the plummeting rain turned into pure white snow.

* * *

**crying in corner over the death of Takashi WHY AM I SO CREUL!!**

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!


	11. Two Kinds of Fire

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in…_

* * *

"Rukia."

A thousand things were going through Ichigo's mind as he ran through the burning house..._Rukia...I found you! What are you doing...Is you actually crying? _Then Ichigo saw the blood spattered on her face. _Are you...injured?_

"Rukia!"

Rukia's head swung around. She saw Ichigo running through the fire, running to her, running to _save_ her. She smirked a little to herself, _Always here to save me when I don't want to be saved..._

"Rukia...what the hell are you doing?! Let's get the hell outta here!!" Ichigo yelled to her, stopping at the kitchen door. Rukia turned away.

"I'm not coming, Ichigo," she simply said, slightly coughing as she breathed in smoke while she talked, "Leave me here, you interrupted me dying once...please...please don't do it again!" she partly yelled. Ichigo expected her to be angry but she said it with pleading eyes, eyes that had given up. Ichigo refused to take that as an answer. Then, the house began to fall apart.

"Damn!" He yelled as the ceiling began to collapse. "This sucks!" he yelled again as he ran in the opposite direction.

Rukia smiled as the ceiling above her began to collapse. Fire, thoughts of Ichigo, tears rolling down her face, it was Soul Society all over again.

"Goodbye."

* * *

Opposite of what Rukia thought, Ichigo didn't run away. He ran up stairs and rampaged through every room, checking for people and a certain idiotic midget's gigai. He ran into one room after another, leaping over holes in the floor as he passed until he finally reached the last door in the hallway. He opened it and found Rukia's gigai sprawled out on the floor.

"Yes! Got it!"

He scooped her body into his arms, happy to see that the fire only inflicted minor burns to it. He looked around the room again, making sure he didn't forget anything. Just then, his eyes glanced over to a wide open closet where he saw Rukia's backpack. He smirked, "Idiot."

He grabbed and ran down the stairs with the bag and Rukia's gigai. He sprinted into the kitchen to see Rukia on the ground, her eyes barely opened, burning pieces of wood on top of her.

**"RUKIA!"**

* * *

Rukia heard Ichigo scream her name. She was still conscious; she was still there, barely. She could feel the fire burn her body but she didn't care. Suddenly, more fiery debris fell from the ceiling and hit her back. She stopped herself from screaming out and just lay there, not wanting to move, _unable_to move. But Ichigo, Ichigo couldn't watch.

"Rukia!! Rukia, get up!! C'mon!! Please!"

But for all Ichigo knew, she could be dead right now….and the fact that she didn't yell out when she was crushed by the wood proved his theory. And for that one moment, he wanted to cry.

"Damn it, Rukia!"

He ran through the fire, a backpack on one shoulder, a gigai hoisted up on the other. He ran to Rukia and kicked all the wood off her body. Then, he picked up her up, her body like a rag doll, as he ran out of the house, the building collapsing behind them.

Ichigo's cold hands and the falling snow felt cool and relaxing on her burnt body as they ran in the snow. _Am-am I dead?_

But she wasn't dead….yet, and as she was just about to lose consciousness, she opened her eyes the smallest bit to see Ichigo carrying a body with raven black hair.

_Maybe-Maybe he saved the Takashi's…corpse…_

Rukia was awakened with a stinging sensation on her skin. She winced involuntarily, pain taking over her senses. She felt a reassuring hand being placed on her burnt, wrapped shoulder.

_"_Don't worry, Rukia. I'm almost done."

She opened her eyes to see Ichigo wrapping a burn on her lower calf. He looked up at her.

"Heh, you're finally awake."

And with that, he punched her in her swollen, burnt face. And he hit her hard. A hand mark showed itself on her red face. Her fury emerged.

"What was that Ichigo?! What did you do that for?!" she yelled angrily, holding her cheek.

"Hell no! The question is why I shouldn't hit you! You run away from home without a word, and worry every freakin' person you know! Then I have to chase you all over Japan and when a finally found you after having to search everywhere, encounter some crazy-ass lady and sleep on the cold, hard ground you're trying to kill yourself in a burning house!! What's that?! I did not go to save you so you could commit suicide, Rukia!!"

"I don't belong here, Ichigo."

"Oh, please don't start that crap again!! Then enlighten me, where do you belong?!"

"I….I…I don't belong anywhere!!" Rukia finally screamed out into the silent night, the snow stopping its peaceful downfall. Ichigo couldn't believe it.

"No way…you…you seriously believe that?"

Rukia nodded back silently, her eyes focused on her knees. Ichigo was still in utter shock. He shook his head, shaking it off.

"C'mon Rukia, you know you belong in Karakura with everyone….Chad…Inoue…Uryu… me," he told her hesitantly, looking at the ground. Rukia's face looked as if it was carved in stone.

"No, you're wrong. There, I am only a burden to all of you. And it's the same in Soul Society. I am never of use to anyone; I have only gotten in the way of everything. I was ruining the lives of everyone I encountered…Renji…Nii-sama……..you," she looked up.

"I thought it would be better for everyone…for you…if I just left. So I did. I left and soiled the lives of other people, even causing their deaths. I don't deserve anything, not my friends, not you, not even to live. So I thought…" Rukia was cut off by a hiss that came out of her mouth when Ichigo put more medicine on her burns, the stinging sensation returning to her body.

There was a long silence.

"You're wrong," Ichigo finally said, "You aren't useless, you aren't a burden, you aren't what you think you are. You've helped so many people. You've saved my life so many times…and in so many ways than you could even think. But you're just too thickheaded to see that."

He leaned in closer and gracefully placed a gentle kiss on her face, his lips touching her burnt cheek.

Then, Rukia swung her arms around his neck and kissed him, Ichigo kissing her back. And in that one kiss, Rukia poured out all her sorrow and heartache and Ichigo poured out all his gladness and relief. Those emotions turned into passion as the snow continued its downfall once more.

_She left all she had believed in_

* * *

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while...school's been keeping me busy. But I think I made up for it with this!**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!**


	12. Making New Memories

_She walked away_

_Couldn't say why she was leaving_

_She walked away_

_She left all she had believed in_

Ichigo and Rukia slept together under the tree that snowy December night

Ichigo and Rukia slept together under the tree that snowy December night. Ichigo moved to the other side of the tree to sleep but still, when he woke up the next morning, he found Rukia sleeping in his arms. He heard her shivering during the night and decided to go and keep her…_warm._

But that was behind him as an awkward silence filled the air when the sun's rays made two large violet eyes slowly open. Rukia awoke to find herself sitting in Ichigo's lap, his arms wrapped around her waist…and…she _liked_ it. So she stayed there, and they sat there for a while longer, Rukia hoping Ichigo still thought she was asleep. Ichigo smirked because he knew she was awake a tightened his grip ever so slightly on her hips, trying not to hurt her burns. Rukia was the first to speak.

"Good morning, Ichigo," she simply said leaning her head back to look at him. He smirked again. She sat there, her head upside-down looking at him, her lips sticking out as she pouted. He tried to hold in his laughter.

"Hey," he greeted her as she began to move to…

"HEY!"

She elbowed him in the ribs as she stood up and brushed off her purple dress, the sun making its fabric shine.

"Where'd you get that dress? Never saw that before," Ichigo asked as he stood up, rubbing his stomach.

"A boy named Takashi."

"What?! You mean Takashi Ayame?!"

Rukia stared at him bewildered, shock reflecting in her eyes.

"How do you know Takashi Ayame?"

"I met him when I was looking for you in town. He said you just asked for directions and left….then we got into a fight and….its a long story. How do _you_ know Takashi Ayame?"

"I…I stayed at his house with his family…that was his house…we were in last night," she finished, keeping her back towards Ichigo.

"Oh…they didn't make it," he said, disappointed he couldn't save them.

"A Hollow killed them," she said quickly as she began to walk down the road.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Ichigo yelled, pointing at her. Rukia turned around and as the wind blew through the trees, Ichigo almost thought he saw a small smile grace her light pink lips.

"I'm going home."

* * *

They walked in silence until Ichigo couldn't take it. He wanted to ask what happened but didn't want to invade. So they walked in that silence, Ichigo holding his tounge.

"You're not…going to ask about it?"

Ichigo stared at her as they walked down the road.

"You're not…going to say anything?"

Ichigo smiled, "Would you give me the full story if I did?"

She didn't answer so he continued.

"It's your problem, a hard, upsetting problem. I don't need to know. Who am I to jump into your head and stir up more problems? I'll only be causing you trouble. When you want to say something…if you want to say something…tell me. I'll listen."

Rukia smiled, "That somehow sounds familiar. Where did you get that from?"

"Like I said, you did more to help me than you could ever imagine, Rukia."

She smiled again, a sweet, genuine smile.

"I guess I did."

* * *

_**Ring, Ring, Ring. Ring, Ring, Ring.**_

_Who could this be?_

"H-Hello?"

"Hey, It's me."

"Oh! This is great!! Did you…did you…"

"Yeah, I got her."

Ichigo had to move the phone away from his ear as Orihime began to screamed and shout with joy. He looked down at Rukia who was snickering next to him. He brought the phone back to his ear.

"Okay, okay, relax Inoue!! We're on our way home. Give us a couple hours."

"I got it, I got it! Everything will be set and ready, don't worry, Kurosaki-kun."

"Wait, _what_ will be ready?"

………………………

Ichigo started at his cell phone. Rukia looked up to him.

"What is it?"

"Damn, she hung up!"

* * *

They kept walking down the dirt path. It was about noon now and they still had an hours or two before they got back to Karakura. Ichigo sighed.

"You had to pick the town farthest away didn't you?! You know this is all your-"

But then he stopped himself when he saw the look on Rukia's face. _I can't make her feel useless…um…_

"The damn snow is making us take longer to get home, you know that!" he tried to act, throwing his arms in the air. Rukia kept walking.

"I know it's my fault, just admit it Ichigo."

"Oh, yeah!"

Ichigo ripped Rukia's bag off her back and held it in the air. Rukia jumped to try to get it back.

"Hey, give it back, baka!!"

"Oh, what's this?" Ichigo smirked as he took Rukia's sketch pad out and threw the bag back at her. It hit her on the head and she fell into a pile of snow.

"Ichigo!"

But he was to busy doing other things…flipping through her pad.

"Bunny…bunny…bunny…oh, what's this?" he said as he flipped to a picture of a person. It was pretty good actually. The kid had black hair and blue eyes. He stood tall and had a smile on his face.

"HEY!" Rukia yelled, as she jumped for the pad again. Ichigo kept it over his head.

"Just tell me who it is fir…AHHHH!"

Ichigo fell to the ground holding his crotch as Rukia caught the book. This time, the smirk was on her face.

"What now, Strawberry?!"

"It's…been a long time…since I heard that one," Ichigo said still lying on the floor. She must have kicked him hard.

"And for _your _information, it's Takashi!" she said with pride as she held the book to her chest, "Now if your done playing in the snow, we should go! It's going to get dark," she said as she walked away.

"Ow…"

* * *

They finally arrived in Karakura as the sun set over the river. Ichigo made Rukia, forced Rukia, to sit on his back because she started wincing as she walked because of her burns and Ichigo _insisted_ to give her a ride. So they walked up to Ichigo's porch, Rukia still on his back.

"Ready?"

Rukia sighed, "I really don't want to see what Inoue did."

"Well too bad," and Ichigo opened the door.

"_**WELCOME BACK, RUKIA!!"**_

Ichigo turned his head to see his friend bewildered on his shoulders. He smiled.

"Welcome home."

And Rukia's violet eyes suddenly began to overflow with tears.

* * *

**All right. This is just a fluffy little spoof chapter I thought of during science class a couple days ago. It was a lot of fun to write and I think it develops the story a little more. And for those who didn't know...Ichigo sort of quoted Rukia when she asked if he would say anything. Remember them running down the steps in the graveyard at the way beginningof the series? Yup! That's what I was going for.**

**And for all my Adventure in the Snow fans...the story will be going on hiatus until winter returns. Sorry but why should I write about them rolling in the snow when the can be at the beach?? It's SUMMER TIME!! **

**TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!**


	13. FINAL: Start of Something New

"Rukia…seriously, where _the hell are we going_?" Ichigo sighed impatiently as they walked through the vast meadows of Soul Society. The two walked up a steep hill and looked down on the small town below, its houses' poor and broken down. Rukia, who was also in her shinigami robes, pulled out her cell phone as she answered his annoying complaint.

"This is the place. We're here."

"And where exactly would be here?"

Ichigo sighed again, scratching his head. He looked down at the small town, its citizens settling in for the night as the sun was beginning to set. He turned back to Rukia whose pale skin was being illuminated by the setting sun. He went red and smiled, turning away to hide it.

"Can we finally stop walking now?" he covered up his embarrassment with another complaint. _I _

_gonna get smacked really soon...I __feel__ it!_

"Nope," she replied curtly, hitting him in the stomach with one quick swipe, "We still have a little ways to go."

"Agh! Why are we even here anyway?!" Ichigo screamed back, rubbing his aching stomach. _I so called that!_

Rukia turned towards him, a small smile gracing her lips pink lips.

"Let's just say...there's someone I want you to meet."

* * *

Rukia looked at her cell phone and then back at the little shack in front of her. She did this multiple times until she put her phone back into her robes, her mind satisfied at last. Ichigo sighed with his arms crossed as the scene took place, wishing he was home studying for his tests.

"We're here."

Ichigo grinned victoriously, "Finally! So….now what?"

"What do you think? We're going to see if anyone is home, baka," she replied stubbornly as she walked toward the broken wooden door. Ichigo sighed and followed his small friend as she pressed her fist into the door. After a few times, the door opened.

A boy opened the door. The boy looked about Ichigo's age and was a little shorter than him with jet black hair. He wore a shaggy, blue, sleeveless kimono with nothing on his feet and a big smile on his face. Suddenly, he charged towards Rukia.

"Hey-" Ichigo started, but realized there was not threat when the boy hugged Rukia.

"Rukia!" the boy yelled, backing up to get a good look at her. He smiled when he saw the small blush that was making its way to her face.

"Hello...Takashi..." she mumbled in embarrassment. Takashi smiled.

"It's been so long. I didn't think you would actually come to visit!! Come on in!" he said as he opened the door to his house again. Rukia smiled and walked to the door. Then she turned around.

"Coming, Ichigo?"

Ichigo, who was angry for a reason he didn't quite know himself, sighed and walked towards her.

"I don't have a choice…do I?"

Rukia grinned, half evilly and half happily, happy that their journey was sucessful and that this was the perfect chance to torture Ichigo.

Taking her evil smirk as a no, Ichigo sighed and followed her into Ayame's home.

_Crap!_

* * *

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Takashi asked as they sat down on the dirt floor.

Ichigo looked around the house. Actually, it looked more like a shack than a house. The wood on the walls was coming down and there was only a small table in the room. But what did he expect? This _was _Rukongai after all.

"Just here to check on you," Rukia said, wiping the dirt off her hakama, "Did Nii-sama treat you well?"

"What?! Wait! What did Byakuya ever do?!" Ichigo yelled surprised. _Byakuya the noble, evil bastard, helping some poor kid in Rukongai my ass!_

"He brought him food when I told him what happened. He'll send someone to bring you supplies every once in a while," she finished, turning back to Takashi.

"Yeah, he was...okay. But if that guy's your brother...than whose, your adopted brother Ichigo?" he said with a playful grin pointed as Ichigo.

Ichigo snorted and crossed his arms. Rukia told Takashi their story after hitting Ichigo a few times in places that should not be mentioned. Takashi listened through the whole thing.

"Oh, I get it...then...well...I wish you guys luck together!" he said with another grin...and a small hint of sadness. Rukia and Ichigo both turned red and said nothing.

Ichigo replied first, "Um...thanks."

"I guess we should go now," Rukia said right away as she got up from her spot on the ground, her face still tomato red. Takashi laughed and followed behind her. Ichigo got up and did the same.

"It was nice seeing you again, Takashi," Rukia said as Takashi hugged her again, Ichigo crossing his arms in frustration behind them.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to tell Megumi and Oka-san you stopped by. But hey...can I ask you something?"

This even caught Ichigo's attention. Rukia's violet eyes became wide with surprise.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I was thinking...when Megumi got older...that I would join the shinigami academy to become shinigami like you guys...is that okay?"

Rukia squealed with excitement and ran back over to Takashi to hug him again.

Ichigo's jaw reached the ground as he cursed under his breath. He thought this would be easy but now he has a little competition. _Ayame...get your scrawny damn hands off her!! She's mine!!_

_The choice is your alone now_

_Tell me how the story..._

_Ends._

* * *

**_I would like to say thank you to everyone that supported me throughout the story...especially Alice001...I'm happy you all stayed with it till the end. i'm sorry about Takashi and all that but he'll be a shinigami and fight for Rukia's love and annoy the hell out of Ichigo soon enough!! Maybe a sequal?? If you want one let me know. I have a poll on my page so if you want one VOTE PLEASE!!_**

**_Sorry the last chapter was so crappy...I really couldn't think of anything anymore...I'm ready to start a new story! So...for the last time for this story._**

**_TELL ME WHAT'CHA THINK!!_**


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